THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There was strong pressure to include Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac in the list of probable candidates for the assembly elections. At the state committee meeting here, several members demanded strongly to field a few senior leaders who had otherwise completed two terms. Many demanded that Thomas Isaac and G Sudhakaran be given another term. The Alappuzha district secretariat had also recommended both names.
“Taking the winnability factor into consideration, some leaders should be given another chance. In the case of Isaac, state committee members from not only Alappuzha but other districts also wanted his inclusion, especially in the backdrop of KIIFB,” said a source. The party leadership pointed out that a decision has been taken to enforce the two-term norm strictly.
If exemption is given, seniors like E P Jayarajan and A K Balan too would have to be given another term. Though the party decided not to field those who had contested the last LS polls, M B Rajesh, K N Balagopal, P Rajeev and V N Vasavan have been included.